Recently in NFC Category
Nokia announced its third fully integrated Near Field
Communication (NFC) phone, the Nokia 6216 classic. It is their first SIM-based NFC device which enables operators to build NFC
services on to the SIM card. They claim NFC consumers will benefit from greater ease of use, more convenient sharing of content - such as images, weblinks, audio files or contact data - as well as secure payment and ticketing transactions, all with just one tap of the device. The Nokia 6216 classic is expected to start shipping in the third quarter of 2009 .
Owner's credit card information can be stored securely on the SIM card and waving the device in front of a contactless terminal enables quick payment and simple ticketing services.
The GSMA is asking for full NFC functionality to be built into mobile handsets by mid-2009. They want to make sure that consumers can benefit from mobile payment services as soon as possible.
At the GSMA's Board meeting this week in Macau, China they saw the need for the ETSI endorsed 'Single Wire Protocol'
standard to provide the interface between the Universal Integrated
Circuit Card (UICC, or SIM card) and the embedded NFC chipset within
the handset.
The NFC chip communicates with existing contactless
readers to deliver a secure credit or debit payments along with other services.
A series of operator trials - under the GSMA's 'Pay-Buy-Mobile' initiative - showed that consumers can use UICC-based NFC handsets to quickly, easily and securely pay for goods and services in shops, restaurants and train stations.
The results of the test from Jan. 28 to May 30, 2008 show that participants at BART stations frequently tapped smart advertisements in BART stations with their NFC phones. These posters contained directions to nearby Jack in the Box restaurants.
The world’s first
fully integrated, commercial NFC handset, the Nokia 6131 NFC phone will be available in Germany on March 3.
BenQ showcased its T80, the latest next-generation NFC (Near Field Communications) smartphone, at this year’s Mobile World Congress. Not only does T80 feature all the capabilities of a smartphone, it is also an all-in-one device that users can carry to pay for transportation or access private security systems at home.
BenQ collaborated with Taipei Smart Card Corporation, the operator of Taiwan’s first integrated contactless transport card initiative, to embed NFC technology into T80, making applications such as electronic ticketing for public transportation, parking payment and adding or checking account value possible. T80 can also be configured to access private security systems for homes.
BenQ T80 is the world’s first NFC-enabled smartphone to feature Windows Mobile 6 operating system. T80 is also the world’s first NFC-enabled phone to feature dual storage options for NFC data, meaning that users can either store transaction or security data on the microSD card or on the SIM card, providing convenience and portability when users change to another NFC-enabled phone. T80 also supports Chunghwa Telecom’s Combi SIM card, the world’s first SIM card to provide highly secure e-wallet services with a massive memory to keep transaction records and other application service content. Chunghwa Telecom is Taiwan’s largest integrated telecommunication operator.
T80 has a 2.2-inch screen and houses a 3.0 mega pixel built-in camera. Users can time automatic wallpaper changes according to their preferences. It is also DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance)-compliant, meaning that it can be integrated into a family’s DLNA-compliant home entertainment system and be used as a remote control for any other DLNA-compliant devices.
The phone will be tested in Taiwan, next month.
Gemalto, the world leader in digital security, today announces that it has been chosen by Taiwan Mobile, Taiwan’s leading telecommunication service provider, to provide the world’s first commercial NFC (Near Field Communication) SIM-based mobile contactless system. It is designed to remotely manage the life-cycle of any type of contactless service within a mobile phone environment, especially payment applications that mandate high security levels.
After multiple mobile contactless trials in Asia and in the rest of the world and through its experience in the telecommunications, transport and financial sectors, Gemalto successfully developed a secure solution fulfilling the specific needs of its partners and end-users. It will allow Taiwan Mobile to register, issue, manage and terminate mobile NFC services over-the-air (OTA).
Taiwan Mobile’s subscribers will be free to securely purchase goods, top-up their transport pass and proceed to coupons management just by using their mobile phone in a contactless mode. As most people always keep this personal device with them, the mobile contactless technology clearly brings them more freedom and convenience.
This comprehensive solution will be commercially rolled out nation-wide during 2008. It will enable banks, transport companies and other service providers to incorporate their services onto a mobile environment. This will complete Taiwan’s contactless experience along with previous commercial launches for payment and transport.
Innovision Research & Technology, developer of the Near Field Communication (NFC) standard number one tag type, Topaz has announced the winners of its NFC Innovation Awards, the first UK-based competition to find the most innovative applications of NFC tags for the everyday mobile handset user. Winners included NFC tracking for “green exericse”, vehicle identification, and perscriptions.
Health Buddy
There were two joint winners. One was ‘Health Buddy’ from the Lancaster University team of Paul Coulton, Omer Rashid and William Bird. This uses NFC to encourage outdoor physical activity or ‘green exercise’, as a way of combating the increasingly sedentary lifestyle of the UK population. Health Buddy tracks the activity and progress of a user on a set exercise course, triggered each time the user scans an NFC tag at specific locations with an NFC-enabled phone. The location information provided by the NFC tags is linked to pre-calculated calorie-burning, timing and effort data for various physical activities, which could include walking, running and cycling. As well as providing an instant motivator during exercise, Health Buddy provides a historical view of activity, including distances covered and energy consumed.
The NFC Forum (www.nfc-forum.org), a non-profit industry association that advances the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, today announced that “Click,” the BBC’s flagship technology program, has chosen NFC as one of its five top technologies for 2008.
BBC News selected the five technologies from the hundreds of consumer products and technologies on display at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) International in Las Vegas last week.
Near Field Communication (NFC) is a standards-based, short-range wireless connectivity technology that enables simple and safe two-way interactions between electronic devices. NFC technology allows consumers to perform contactless transactions, access digital content and connect devices with the simplicity of a single touch. NFC technology provides global interoperability of contactless identification and interconnection technologies.
